The Geneva Challenge 2018

The 2018 edition of the Geneva Challenge is a project funded by Swiss Ambassador Jenö Staehelin and is supported by Kofi Annan, the high-patron of the contest. The Geneva Challenge aims to encourage interdisciplinary problem solving analysis among master students on advancing human development within the scope of a relevant topic.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and has become a critical concern for both developing and developed countries. As the key to this issue is an interdisciplinary solution, crossing traditional boundaries between academic disciplines, we are inviting graduate students from all academic programmes to provide helpful strategic recommendations. This year, we will distribute five prizes, one per continent.

Teams of 3-5 master students must submit an 8,000 word proposal which:

• identify a challenge stemming from climate change;
• construct an interdisciplinary analysis on how it affects different aspects of development in a specific (but transposable) context;
• propose innovation at the policy, practice, process or technology levels turning the challenge into development opportunity.

Award

The ADG contest distributes 25,000 CHF in monetary prizes. The winning project is awarded CHF 10,000; the two teams in second place will receive CHF 5,000 and the two teams in third place, CHF 2,500.

Eligibility

• Participants of the contest 2018 must be enrolled as graduate students at the time of their registration for the contest;
• “Graduate students” to be anyone enrolled in a post-bachelor level university programme with a maximum duration of 2 (two) years, or anyone who can prove to be studying towards acquiring a masters level degree;
• Participants must gather in teams of 3 (three) to 5 (five) graduate students, who are able to contribute from at least 2 (two) different disciplinary perspectives to the submitted analysis;
• The participants can be enrolled in the same graduate programme, collaborate with students from other programmes from the university they are enrolled in or coordinate with students from different universities and institutions worldwide.

Official Link

Deadline: 18th April 2018